Improvement in machines for cutting cakes



D. J. TITTLE. Improvement in Machines for Cuttn g Cakes. Figi. Patented oct. 8,1872.

Witnesses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL J. TITTLE, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING CAKES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,034, dated October 8, 187'2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL J. TITTLE, of the city and county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Oakes, Crackers, Lozenges, Ste.; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of the machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same taken at line No. l in Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a vertical lateral section of the machine taken at line No. l in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of a section of the machine taken' at line No. 1` in Fig. 3 and illustrating the manner ot' the arrangement of the cutters, table, cutting-block,

and their operating parts; and Fig. 5 is a vertical lateral section of a cutter on an enlarged scale.

My y invention relates to certain improvements in machines for cutting cakes, crackers,

. lozenges, and like articles and consists in certain arrangements of the cutters, cutter-blocks, table, and other mechanical devices, whereby the sheets of dough are made to pass over a horizontal table, with intervals of stoppage, in which the cutters will be thrown upward through the table while the cutter-blocks will be moved downward toward the cutters, when the cakes or like articles will be cut and fall below on a pan carried on an endless` apron,

while the scraps will be carried oft1 the table and deposited onto a receptacle, all of which I will proceed to describe to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the drawing and the letters of reference marked thereon, the same letters indicatingv like parts.

In the drawing, A represents any suitable frame-work for supporting the several parts of the machine. B is an endless feed-apron, which is to carry the material to the cutters; the said endless apron isf carried by the roll- Y ers b b1, operated by a gear,b2, attached to .the shaft of the roller b1 by a second gear, b3,

Fig. l. The gear b3 has attached to it ou its shaft a ratchet-wheel, ar, Fig. l, which ratchetwheel is operated by a duplex pawl, al a2, operated by the bar c, lever c1, and pitman c2,

and eccentric c3, or equivalent crank attached to the operating shaft D, Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The object of using a duplex-pawl with a ratchet-wheel is to insure a certain positive movement of the gear b3 when the pawl a a1 and lever o1 are set for a certain size cake. The duplex pawl consists of two pawls, the

one, ci", stiff and continuous with the bar c,

and the other pawl, a1, hinged to the iirst at any suitable point, a3, as shown in Fig. 1, and their extreme ends are arranged so as to act against different teeth in the ratchet a. By this varrangement ofthe gears b2 b3, ratchet a, duplex pawl ala?, bar c, lever c1, pitman c2, and eccentric c3, the distance of a single movement of the apron B between its intervals of stoppage can be regulated by altering the distance of the pitman c2 or pawl-bar c, or both, from or toward the central fulcrum of the lever c1. O, Figs. 2, 3, and 4:, is what I denominate the dough-table, which table consists of a horizontal plate, preferably made of steel, placed close to the front end of thefeed-apron B, and about on a line with the said apron, and is provided with several perforations, V V, corresponding in number, size, andl form with the cutters used. The said'table is intended to receive the dough fed by the apron and hold itin each interval of its stoppage until the cutters have performed their work, the object of this part of my invention being to support the dough above the cutters in the interval of its stoppage, and also to afford a passage for vthe clippings to the clip-apron when the cutters have been drawn back. E E are cutters, madeof any suitable metal but preferably of steel, case-hardened iron, or composition. The said cutters may be made of any size or form desired. The bore E is slight` ly widened at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 5, while the bore at its cutting-end e is made slightly contracted, as shown, to the extent of about an eighth of an inch, more or less. The object of thus making the cutter with a widened bore at its lower end, and a contracted bore, e, at its upper end, is to insure a free fall of the disk of dough or other material from the cutters, as soon asthe said disk has been cut. The said cutters E E are arranged 11 1 the cutter-bar E1, in number as may be de- Slred or suited, from their size, to the capacity of the machine. The said cutter-bar is ate macs/a tached to the guides F F, Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4,

and may be operated vertically by any suitable known mechanical device, preference being given to the tripping-camf attached to the operating-shaft aD, which tripping-cam will, at each revolution of the said operating-shaft, strike against the beveled lower ends of the guides F F and force them upward through the dough-table. In the meanwhile the wings of the said cams are made to contract with the said beveled ends, and when the saidwings have passed the said beveled ends the said cutter-barE1 and the cutters will fall, the object of this part of .my invention being the cutting of the dough in a vertical direction from its lower side, so that the several disks ofl dough or other material when cut will, with the cutters, drop below the dough-table, and separate from the clippings and permit a movement of the same from off the table to the clip-apron to make room for fresh dough for another operation of the cutter. G G are a series of independent cutter-blocks, consisting ofthe screw-cut shaft :v and head fr', arranged in number and size corresponding to the cutters E used. The said cutter-blocks are arranged with the block-head G', and are capable of heilig set nearer to or further from the table C by means of the setnuts g g1, Fig. 4, which set-nuts find a bearing on the upper and lower surfaces of the headpiece G, as'shown. The said cutter can also be set further apart or nearer together, as may be desired, by means of the oblong slot g2 made in the head-piece G', as shown in Fig. 3, the object of this part of my invention being' to render each cutter-block independent of the other, so that each can be adjusted with great accuracy at a proper distance from its cutter independent of the other, whereby unequal lengths (if any) of the cutters can be made to operate at equal times with the said cutterblocks. The said cutter-blocks G G are made elastic by means of the rubber faces g3, which are attached to the lower ends of the cutterblocks, as shown in Fig. 4. The said elastic faces g3 are intended to act with the cuttingedges of the cutters E, when in contact, in a yielding manner, while there will also result a' sudden rebound at each contact, which operates on the dough-disks being cut, to give them an impulse to drop down through the cutters, the object of this part of my invention being to effect a yielding of the cutterblock face to the cutter, whereby the doughdisk, when cut, will be made to receive a sudden impulse ,to drop from its cutter. The said cutter-block head G is attached to the guidepieces H H, Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4, which guidepieces H work in suitable ways attached to the sides of the frame A, and is made capable, with its blocks, of a vertical movement to and from the table C simultaneously with the similar vertical movement of the cutters, by means of any suitable known mechanical device, preference being given to the trippingcam j' operating as with the cutter-bar E before described, in the reverse, and the pivoted .lever h and elastic spring h. This arrangement is intended to lessen the distance of the movement of the cutters, which otherwise` would be required, and also prevent the dough being carried upward from the table C at each cutting, and by the retreat of 'the cutter-blocks permit the dough to slide over the table free from all contact with the said cutter-blocks, the object of this part of my invention being to effect a simultaneous movement of the cutter-blocks toward their cutters, that the contact of the one with the other can be made almost instantaneous, whereby the movement of the dough over the table is required to be stopped for only a small period of time for the cutting of the dough and retreat of both the cutters and the cutter-block therefor. J is the clip-trough, made of any suitable material, and placed parallel with the roller v1 and just below its center, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The said trough should be in length equal at least with the length of the roller i, and may have a width and depth to give an y required capacity, and preferably both ends are open, so that the clippings can be taken out at either end without necessitating a removal of the same by lifting up, the object of this part of my invention being the prevention of clippings falling on the floor or other parts of the machine, and to afford a receptacle from which the clippings can be readily removed. K is an endless apron, which I denominate the pan-apron. `The said apron is carried by the roller 7c k1 and operated by the gear k2, Fig. l, working into the gear b3. The said pan-apron runs longitudinally with the feed and clip apron, and moves in the saine direction beneath the cutters E E and at a short distance below the same, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and with about the Same rate of speed as the aprons above. The said apron is intendedV to receive the pans intended to hold the dough-cakes at its rear, and to carry them successively under the cutters to receive the cake-dough as they fall from the same, the object of this part of my invention being to e'ect an automatic panning of the doughcakes as they fall from the cutters, whereby all necessity for handling or arranging the cakes by hand will be dispensed with.

This machine can be operated by hand or other power, and made of any desired capacity. Y 1t may be furnished with a docker, which will stam p, print, or dock the cakes just before they are cut, which docker may be arranged somewhat as M, Fig. 2.

The manner in which this machine operates is as follows: The dough or other material be ing previouslyrolled out in sheets of any de`- sired thickness, is placed on the4 feed-apron B, where it is carried forward to the table C and passes on the same, the other parts of the ma chine in the meanwhile operating. Vhen on .the table C the movement of the feed-apron will be stopped for a short interval, and the ripping-cam f or other equivalent device will operate to throw the cutters upward through the perforation V V in the table and through the dough lying on the said table at the same time the cutter-blocks are being cast down. The simultaneous movement of the cutters and their elastic' cutter-blocks toward eachother insuresa sudden cutting of the cakes, and causes them to fall immediately through'the cutters to and on the pan carried by the pana-pron below. As soon as the cutters have dropped, and the cutter-blocks have been thrown up, vthe feed-apron will again commence its forward movement to present the dough vfor another operation. In the meanwhile the clippings have been carried up between the rollersz' and i2, and deposited in the trough J. The operation of the machine being continued, the alternate moving forward of the dough and its clippings, and the cutting and panning will be eected automatically in a sure and rapid manner.

This machine is simple in all its parts, and positive in its several actions; and its advantages are apparent, because of theautomatic action of its several parts which feed, cut, and pan the dough-cakes, and separate the clippings from the same.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

l. The combination of the duplex pawla1 a2, bar o, lever c1, pitman o2, eccentric-c3, ratchet a, gears b3 and b2, rollers b bl, whereby each movement of the apron can be effected and regulated, substantially as and for the pur-v 4. In a cake, cracker, or lozenge machine, one or more cutters, E, capable of a vertical movement, and arranged so that the dough will be cut in the upward movement of the cutters, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the set-nuts g g1 with the independent cutter-blocks x and cutter.

7. The combination of the elastic face g3 with the cutter-blocks x x', whereby the said face will yield to the cutter, and the dough-cake or disk will receive animpulse to` fall from the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 8. In a machine for cutting cakes, crackers, and the like, the combination of one or more cutter-blocks, Gr, with the cutters E, each block being capable of a vertical movement in a direction opposite to and simultaneous with its coacting cutter, whereby the distance of the movement of the cutters is lessened, substantially in the manner set forth.

9. The rollers t' i2 arranged in relation to the dough-.table C, so as to draw theclippin gs from said table and deliver the same into some suitable receptable, substantially as set forth.

10. In a machine for cuttingcakes, crackers, and the like, the arrangement of the pan-apron K beneath the cutters, whereby pans may be automatically mo-ved beneath the cutters to receive the dough-cakes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

DANIEL J. TITTLE.

Witnesses:

D. J ..TITTLE, Jr. CHAs. SELKIRK. 

